Hi Andy here from Leicestershire.just like to say hello to everyone on this forum and I'm very glad to be here.as strange as this may sound I am 53 and only just getting into motorbikes.I plan to have a misspent retirement.having just completed my das I have gone out and blown my dollers on a 2012 street triple.had her a week now and her name is Lola.when I'm not out and about on her I tend to keep sneaking glances of her in the garage.how sad is that.she makes me feel young again.how sad is that again.anyways glad to be and Would love to here from you all and hear your experiences as mine for the moment are short.thanks again Andy
Hi and welcome, a great bike you have but and I am sorry for this but it is in my view not the best choice for a first bike, a Bonnie or Thruxton would have been better. Do take it very easy, watch the throttle and above all do not try to be sucked in to keeping up with others. You are green and very vulnerable so learn your limitations Consider taking additional training, then when you have a few more monthe try the IAM associate route. Read up and practice motorcycle riding using the Police Motorcycle Roadcraft handbook, available via WH Smith Follow my advice and the advice of those that follow me and you will have a long and safe life riding Above all enjoy and be safe
I'd never been on a bike before 1999. Did my direct access and started my biking days on a CBR600FV, no issues. Welcome to the forum Andy, take it easy. :upyeah:
Col, I know you're only trying to help but it's really not very helpful to keep on criticising what people choose as their first bike. Allow people to make their own decisions whatever you think of them. By all means suggest extra training (I'd suggest Bikesafe) but give a bloke a break. Good luck with your new bike Andy and as Col says, take care and take some extra training.
Yer said it all Andy, if yer like yer bike that much, it's the right bike, BUT, advice already offered is essential, do learn to ride your Triple properly or serious trouble beckons. Treat all car drivers as being partially sighted or on facebook/texting. Riding defensibly is the only way to survive. I'm enjoying misspent retirement after a misspent youth. Welcome, ride safe :upyeah:
What would you expect if a newbie went straight onto a Fireblade? On another forum a newbie posted that he dropped his new ST twice which seems to be due to poor throttle control in bad conditions, a twist to much in the wrong conditions and you are down and potentially dead. So if someone who is new to biking buys an inappropriate bike relative to their skill level then it would be lax of us just to say....great bike. They are potentially a very real danger to themselves and your kids. So Folkbloke please do not criticise my advice, newbies who buy the wrong bike need to be made aware that their next ride may well be their last. The last time I rode a Street Tripple it was bucketing it down and the rear was definitely very twitchy and delicate throttle control was necessary, the front end grip was also very light. So these are not bikes for the inexperienced. Same conditions on my Bonnie or TEX are no problem. Be safe
While I commend your concern for your fellow bikers we differ in our approach. I wouldn't tell someone they'd made a mistake. For me that's just not on. Not my first choice perhaps but I would never criticise them like you do. Different strokes I guess.
Hi Andy, Not strange at all! I was 55 when I decided to get into bikes. Did the CBT and bought a CBF125, which I rode for a year. Tried to go out everyday in the dry, the wet, when it was cold and when it was foggy to gain experience. Passed DAS in May this year and bought the Bonnie straight after. Having said that, I got a Bonnie cos I wanted one but as ColLamb says they are a great bike to start on. You will definitely need the practice and experience on your bike - I'm just getting confident on the Bonnie after nearly 4000 miles - take it easy and stay safe. Steve
Hi and welcome to the forum from Ashby Leicestershire and congratulations on passing your test and buying your first bike. We are on the whole a friendly and welcoming bunch of people really :biggrin: The Street Triple is in my opinion a good first bike. Yes it's powerful but it's not intimidating. More importantly its small, light and easy to control, handles and stops really well. My wife had one straight after doing her das in 2012. The great thing about this bike is you wont get bored after a few months, just keep out of the top of the rev range and take it easy for a while. Col means well I'm sure and he does make some good points but for me this bike is an excellent first bike.
Hi its me again. You have made some excellent points col and I have already taken steps to achieve what you stated in your section. My instructor who took me for my das had the same view as you,but he also said given the right circumstances the street triple Would make an excellent first bike light easy to ride forgiving great in traffic. He did recommend an advanced course which he runs himself And I will be taking him up on them.I'm gonna spend the winter pootling about on it going back and fourth to work and weather permitting just popping around my local country side.as well as doing the advanced course.I don't intend taking it anywhere I can get myself in trouble. I will keep you posted on how things are going.just got back from an 80 mile Sunday afternoon ride and I am still loving this bike.I promise col I will be very very careful
Hi all again just got back from an 80 mile spin .if read everybody remarks and absorbed it all.Col I am already on it about Advanced rider classes.my instructor who got me thru my DAS also does advanced rider classes and is of the same ilk as you In that once you've passed your test it should be followed up with advanced classes.although.I did consult him about the street triple Before I got it and he reckoned in the right circumstances it could make a good starter bike.light easy to ride good in tragic,just be easy on the throttle.i tend to spend the winter just going back and fourth to work and weather permitting at the weekend just short runs out into the surrounding countryside.not planning anything major until next summer.just taking it easy getting used to my new steed.I promise col I will be very very careful.I will keep you posted how I am doing.thanks for everybody's replys
Just got back from work in the pouring rain and there was a burning smell coming from the front of the striple.any ideas anybobody
probably just road grime and slime baking it's self onto your exhaust down pipes. It gets thrown up from the front wheel. Make sure you don't put a cover over your hot bike, think someone has already asked how you remove melted plastic off downpipes.
Thanks Richard that's put my mind at rest.I did google it when I got home and they said the same as you.useful this forum ain't it
Hi, Welcome to the forum, and good on you getting your bike license at 53! I should know, I did the exact same... passed my das in January, got a brand new Bonnie 1 week later and I've done over 7500mls on it since then and loving it... very good advice from the posts above though, it's easy to feel at first that your a bit slow and have to keep up, I did the first few weeks until I talked to a few bikers and realized that everyone goes at their own pace, it's your bike, your choice... every time I ride out I assume someone will pull out or walk out in front of me, and most of the time it happens, but as long as your tuned in, and ready for it, you'll be fine... remember to put the side stand down when parking up, I forgot once after a long ride and ended up flat on my back in the garden, my poor wee Bonnie on her side, only damage was a broken clutch lever and my pride dented Stay safe buddy and don't trust anyone on the road, even if they're looking right at you! :smile:
Yeh, that was me :redface::redface::redface: in another post a few days ago, got it off eventually, lesson learned!
I passed my test in 1987. Jumped off my RG125 Gamma straight onto a CBX750...I almost drove through a shop window on it, I ragged it so much within 3 months I blew the big ends. Dealer did me a swap for another bike.:biggrin: XJ600 with open lazer pipe and matt black paint. It was a nutters bike and suited me well. I've had at least 30 bikes since. Only ever did a two day intensive and I thought that was a load of tat.